The same night.

While Kierra and Diamante were reliving their moments outside, a group of women was gathered on the archwizard's bed. They sat together familiarly in a circle, wearing pajamas and having light snacks—just like any other night.

Over time, they had gotten closer and closer as fellow women in Kierra's harem. As of this point, they were more or less close friends or sisters. Of course, each person would have someone they liked more than the other. For example, Yu Chen and Mie Xieren were always odd with each other, and Bai Qing and Kang Shuren got along exceptionally well, which was true for Yu Chen and Tian Yun as well.

Nevertheless, the conversations always flowed well since there were a whopping five of them—six or seven if either August or Yan Shi decided to join, which, at that point, would become quite chaotic.

If there were something that never changed, it would be the topics being discussed. Always light-hearted, always relaxing... except for today.

'''' ... ''''

Silence enveloped the room.

With the recent fight, everybody had their own thoughts.

Some felt motivated, some felt inferior, and some didn't know how to feel at all. Yet, there was a universal feeling shared between five people.

—awe.

No matter what, they were all humans. It was embedded in the human genes that they would be amazed by nature. Perhaps that was the key to evoking human curiosity—an essential desire to trigger advancement.

And just earlier, they had witnessed it closely—the pinnacle of existence.

A black hole.

Even though they had never known the concept of such celestial entities, the mere sight of a silent monster literally devouring a Heavenly Venerate was enough to imprint in their mind the visage of absoluteness.

They still remembered each and every moment.

From the mind-crumbling amount of mana that burst out of Kierra's heart to the point that the very same thing exploded. Adding to that was the presence of two valiant forces protecting Kierra—August and Cosmos. Like unshakeable walls, they withstood Yuwei's waves like it was nothing.

The third most memorable moment, however, was the collapse of a black hole. The very vivid visual, the abrupt transition, and the fear that belatedly came after...

The second most memorable moment was definitely the Yin and Yang symbol. Diamante and the black hole—being cultivators, if they couldn't feel enlightenment after witnessing that, it would be a disgrace.

The most impactful moment?

Kierra's silhouette as she cast the spell.

It was the first time the archwizard had pulled out her staff, and it was the first time she had been that concentrated when incarnating. Her stance was spotless, her eyes were full of energy, and her smile was endlessly charming.

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Besides making the five fall for her all over again, it aroused a whole other emotion inside them.

The desire to be like Kierra.

An admiration for magic.

Perhaps it might have surpassed even their instinct to cultivate.

So, they were trapped by these thoughts, unable to make a meaningful conclusion with themselves. Overwhelmed. Coincidentally, it also made for quite an entertaining sight.

''Are you guys summoning a demon?''

Sipping her late-night drink, August stood blankly at the doorway with her brow raised. This rightfully startled the group, and as they tumbled for an answer, the Sword Empress decidedly seized the initiative again.

''Want to get stronger, right?''

As she set her cup on the table, August gazed out the window, chasing the center point of that galaxy floating above them.

For her whole life, she only looked up to Kierra.

A penniless orphan who became the pinnacle of magic through sheer effort and talent.

Today, she was once again impressed by her lovely girlfriend.

For August, it was only a matter of training, but perhaps for these women, it might seem impossible. So, August 'kindly' wanted to guide them—not because of kindness. She didn't want them to be sad. If they turned that way, Kierra might be sad, too.

''If you want to learn magic, find Angelica.'' She uttered. ''Kierra is already busy right now, and she needs rest.''

''By 'Angelica,' you mean... Kierra's disciple, right?'' Yu Chen asked.

''Learning from a fellow disciple...'' Tian Yun unknowingly muttered.

When she saw that the reactions were quite lukewarm, August felt like sneering. No, she actually sneered.

''Pfft—stop being arrogant for a second, will you? Don't pull Angelica down to your level.''

'''' ... ''''

''Angelica is Kierra's first disciple. Do you know when their relationship started? Three hundred years ago. She had been learning magic for three hundred years under Kierra. Let that sink in.''

Indeed, everybody was beginning to realize what was actually going on.

August continued, ''Angelica is one of the strongest archwizards in the world, and since she constantly had to guide the others that joined after herself... she might be even better at tutoring than Kierra herself.''

In the span of a minute, all five pairs of eyes were already shining, although August could only see four.

'Good.'

The Sword Empress smiled inwardly. She felt sorry for selling out Kierra like this, but if that meant that she could spend more time with the archwizard, then...

Meanwhile, Angelica, who was reading at White Lotus's library:

''Achoo!''

''Ange?''

''Ah, I'm fine, Shen.''

Raising her brow, Angelica muttered, ''Strange, it's warm here...''

At the same time, Kierra, who was eagerly eating clams:

''Achoo!''

''K-Kierra?! Was there something s-strange?! Ah, maybe it's too cold out here...?''

''...It's nothing. Let's continue.''

''Ah~!♥''

Regardless of such affairs, the next day quickly arrived.

''Whew...''

Flopping onto a breezy spot outside, Angelica silently admired the beauty of White Lotus. She had seen the burning lotus the night before. Compared to Linoel's wild beauty, it certainly felt more mythical in the Central Divine Realm.

''Hahah...''

'Who am I, Kierra Scarlett Aspenova?'

Perhaps through years of being Kierra's disciple, Angelica had become more and more like her master.

However, there was a more urgent matter at this point—qi.

She felt an indescribable frustration at the fact that she missed the moment the first twelve-star spell was released, but that was already the past, and Kierra would cast it again anyway. More or less, she was curious about this 'qi' that her master had mentioned.

'It made [Astral Oblivion] possible.'

It seemed as though Kierra had used it as an enabler for the initial phase of the spell.

''...''

Gazing at the cloudless sky, Angelica felt overwhelmed.

It was too sudden.

Too sudden, yet she couldn't help but feel excited. The pinnacle... had been the same for many years. Now, with qi, the ceiling could finally move up.

First, she would need to awaken 'qi.'

''Mhm...''

But... how was she going to do it?

She needed a few talented cultivators, yet she didn't know where to find them. If she asked Kierra, she would undoubtedly get her some after a few tsundere sentences...

''Miss Angelica!''

''?!''

Suddenly, her vision was blocked by a bunch of spirited faces. Each and every one of these visitors had sparkling eyes—determined, sparkling eyes. Overwhelmed by such enthusiasm, she nearly tumbled backward.

'''' Please teach us magic! ''''

''W-What??''